


A Chance Encounter

by MythGirl02



Category: Miraculous Ladybug, Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types
Genre: enjoy, even though it's not as good as my newer ones, oh well, this is one of my most popular fics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-17
Updated: 2016-10-23
Packaged: 2020-08-19 23:07:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 15,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20217796
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MythGirl02/pseuds/MythGirl02
Summary: It's just a normal weekend for Marinette...until she and Alya meet a group of seven strangers. She and her friends decide to take them around Paris, they learn some startling new things about the American teenagers. When all seems well and good, an Akuma attacks, summoning every villain Ladybug and Cat Noir have ever faced.





	1. The Seven Strangers

Marinette and Alya were sitting on a bench at the park. They were looking at yet another magazine with new pictures of Adrien in it.

"Why can't I just talk to him?" Marinette asked, sighing at his pictures.

"Girl, all you need is a boost of self-confidence!" Alya said, turning the page. "You have the potential to say whatever you want to him; you just need to stop stressing."

"I guess you're right," she agreed. She looked up for a moment and saw a group of seven people of various ages wandering around. She grabbed Alya's arm. "They look kind of lost. Do you think we should go help them?"

"Yeah, they do look pretty lost. Let's go see if we can help."

They got up from the bench, Alya slipping the magazine back into her bag. They walked over to where the group was standing.

"Excuse me," Marinette said to a tall blonde girl in the group. "Are you lost?"

The blonde turned around, revealing a pretty face with stormy grey eyes. She smiled. "Actually, yes. Can you please tell us where the Dupain-Cheng bakery is?"

"Oh, sure! We can walk you over there, actually. My parents own that bakery," Marinette said, smiling back. She stuck out her hand. "I'm Marinette, and this is Alya." Alya smiled and waved.

The blonde took her hand. "My name's Annabeth, and these are my friends Percy, Jason, Hazel, Leo, Piper and Frank," she said, pointing to them in turn. "Thank you so much for helping us."

"Of course!" Alya said. "You haven't lived until you've tasted Mr. Dupain-Cheng's croissants."

"Come on; it's just over this way," Marinette said, taking the lead. "Are you guys from out of town?"

"Yeah, we're from America, actually," the guy named Percy said. "Annabeth and I have been to Paris once before, though."

"Cool! Did you just get here?" Alya asked.

"We did, actually. We're only going to be here for today, though. Then we have to go back," Jason explained.

Out of the corner of her eye, Marinette noticed that Percy, Jason, Hazel and Frank appeared to have tattoos on their forearms. She brushed it off quickly, thinking it was just a figment of her imagination.

Finally they came to the bakery. "Here it is," Marinette announced, opening the door. She and Alya strode in, everyone else following close behind. She walked up to the counter and kissed her mom. "Hi, Mama!" She said. She motioned to the others. "These are some people Alya and I met. They're from America and wanted to come to the bakery."

Mrs. Dupain-Cheng smiled and waved. "Hello, everyone. I'm Marinette's mother. Please, have a look around."

"Thank you," Percy said. He then made a beeline to the macarons, dragging a laughing Annabeth behind him. Leo put his arms around Jason and Piper, steering them toward the cookies. Hazel and Frank gravitated toward the croissants. Marinette's purse began moving subtly. Tikki must want to tell her something.

"I'll be right back, Alya," Marinette said, running upstairs quickly. Once she was in her room, Tikki came out of her purse.

"Be careful, Marinette," Tikki warned. "I felt something strange about those seven."

"What do you mean? They seem nice enough," Marinette said, grabbing a couple things.

"I don't know. They don't seem quite. . .human."

Marinette looked up, startled. "Come on, Tikki. What else could they be?"

Tikki was about to say something when Alya burst into her room. Tikki quickly flew back into Marinette's purse. "Adrien. Downstairs. Now," she said, taking deep breaths.

Marinette's face lit up. "Let's go!"

X-X-X

Leo didn't know about anyone else, but this bakery was amazing. It had all kinds of baked goods, from croissants to macarons to cupcakes and cookies. They all looked so good, it was hard to choose what to get! Jason and Piper had already gone off on their own, looking at the cupcakes. Leo wished Calypso had come with them, but she and a nymph named Juniper were having a girls day.

He turned as a bell chimed, alerting them to someone coming into the bakery. He saw a couple guys come in, who then talked to Alya. She sprinted upstairs to get Marinette.

"Hey," the blonde guy said, coming up behind him with his friend. "Can't decide what to get?"

"No. Everything looks so good!" He said. He stuck out his hand. "I'm Leo."

The blonde shook his hand, then introduced himself. "I'm Adrien, and this is Nino," he said. "Nice to meet you."

They talked for a moment, Leo finally picking a croissant.

Marinette and Alya came rushing back downstairs. "H-hey, Adrien! Hey, Nino," Marinette greeted shyly. Suddenly, she tripped and fell, spilling the contents of her purse.

Leo, Piper, Adrien and Nino went to help out. Piper and Leo picked up some of Marinette's things as Annabeth paid for their pastries with an international credit card. Alya reached down and helped Marinette up. As Piper bent down again to grab Marinette's phone, Adrien reached down at the same time and they bumped heads.

"You okay, Piper?" Leo asked, grabbing Marinette's phone and giving it to her.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry," she apologized to Adrien, rubbing her head. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." He looked at her quizzically. "Do I know you from somewhere?"

She tilted her head to the side, thinking. "I don't think so. I'm not from around here. My name's Piper," she said, offering her hand.

"I'm Adrien," he said, shaking. He looked over at their friends, then back at Leo and Piper. "Are you all here in one group?"

"Yeah. We're visiting from America for a couple days, and Marinette and Alya were nice enough to show us to the bakery," Leo explained.

Adrien looked over at Marinette, Alya and Nino, who were all smiling and laughing. "How about we take you guys around Paris?"

"Are you sure that'd be okay?" Piper asked uncertainly. Leo silently agreed. They barely knew these people. For all he knew, they could be monsters in disguise! Well, probably not, but still.

"Sure! Why don't you and your friends get ready, and then we can go," he said, walking over to tell his friends. Leo wasn't sure, but he thought he saw Alya shoot Piper a dirty look.

"Hey, guys!" Leo said, going over to where their friends were gathered, eating their treats. "Marinette and her friends offered to show us around Paris. You guys game?"

"A tour around the city of love with my beautiful girlfriend? Why not?" Percy said, putting down his blue macaron and looking lovingly at Annabeth. Everyone else agreed with them, except for Jason.

"Are you sure, guys? They could be monsters, or-" Jason started.

"Or just really friendly mortals," Piper interrupted. "Come on! Let go of the rules for once!"

"Are you guys ready?" Marinette asked, kissing her mom goodbye. They all headed outside.

"Yeah!" Leo said, walking up to Alya and Marinette. "A tour of the city of love with two beautiful girls?"

Marinette looked startled and backed up a little. Alya muttered, "Oh, grow up."

"Valdez, if you don't leave them alone, I'm telling Calypso when we get back," Piper threatened teasingly.

His face went slack with panic. "Okay, okay! I promise to be good, Beauty Queen!"

Piper's face grew a hot red. She reeled back and punched his arm hard. "You can start by not calling me Beauty Queen," she reminded him icily.

"Alright, alright. Also, ow!" He said, rubbing his arm. Man, that girl could punch! Everyone started laughing as they headed on their way through Paris.

X-X-X

"And here is the Louvre," Adrien announced, guiding everyone's attention to the museum. "That's weird; we seem to be the only ones here."

"Have you ever thought of being a tour guide, Adrien? You're really good at this commentary thing," Hazel complemented, taking in the beauty of the museum.

Adrien laughed. "Not really, but thanks!" He noticed that Nino and Leo were joking around with each other and Alya was busy taking selfies with Piper, Percy and Jason. Annabeth was muttering something about the structure of the museum and Hazel and Frank were now trying to guess how high it was, laughing. He looked around and found Marinette on her own, looking cautiously over her shoulder.

He went over to her and put his hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay, Marinette?"

She looked up at him quizzically. "Huh? Oh, yeah. I just thought I saw something. . ." She looked over her shoulder again.

He looked over to where she was looking. "I don't see anything," he said finally.

Marinette sighed. "That's just it. Every time I think I see it, it disappears."

"This isn't the first time you've seen it?" He asked, thinking. He remembered earlier that day, Marinette glanced over her shoulder a few times, as if expecting to see someone following them.

She nodded. "Yeah. It sounds crazy, I know; but I swear, I can feel it behind me." She was silent for a moment, then shook her head. "It's probably just my imagination," she decided.

Suddenly, Adrien saw movement behind Marinette. The shape looked human from there. "Is that it?" He asked, pointing. Marinette turned.

"That's it!" She exclaimed. "But. . .what is it?"

The form got a little closer. It looked. . . "Beautiful," Adrien breathed.

"What?" Marinette muttered. "Why would she be following us?" Nino was starting to gravitate towards the girl now, too. "Adrien? Nino? What is wrong with you guys?" The girl got even closer, revealing cherry red lips, silky brown hair and entrancing hazel eyes. Adrien couldn't help falling deeply in love with her.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that Marinette had looked over, seeing Percy look up from his selfies and notice the girl. "Um, guys?" He said to his friends. "I think we may have a problem." They looked over to the girl who had been following them.

"Come over here and give me a kiss, sweetie," the girl told Adrien, her voice sickly sweet.

He began to shuffle forward, a stupid smile on his face. Why shouldn't he kiss her? Marinette grabbed his arm. "Adrien, what are you doing?" She asked incredulously. He pulled away from her and kept going.

Percy and his friends were suddenly at their side. Annabeth ran over to Adrien and threw him over her shoulder. "You are not going anywhere near her," she said. His thoughts were still clouded with those of the girl, but he saw Nino start walking toward the girl too, but before he could get far, Frank had grabbed him as well.

"What's going on?" Alya asked, slightly panicky. "Who is that chick?"

Before anyone could say another word, the girl's image flickered. Suddenly she had flaming red hair and stark white skin. Her hazel eyes morphed into red and her teeth elongated into fangs. As she walked, her feet made uneven sounds. Adrien saw her long, beautifully shaped legs had turned into a bronze leg and a donkey leg.

Quickly, he snapped out of his trance. "What is that?" He asked, his eyes widening.

Nino shook his head. "Whatever it is, it's mad ugly, dude."

Annabeth put Adrien down, and Frank let go of Nino. She looked at the four of them with her stormy grey eyes. "You guys can see it?" She asked warily.

"Y-yeah," Marinette stammered. "I saw it following us a couple times, but I thought it was just my imagination!"

Annabeth cursed under her breath in what sounded like Greek, or maybe it was Latin. "This can't be good," she muttered. She straightened and spoke to them again. "That's an empousa, a vampire," she explained.

"A what now?" Alya asked, crossing her arms. Nobody got the chance to explain any further, because right then, the monster pounced, lunging for Adrien.

Instantly, the group of seven drew some kind of weapons, gleaming bronze and gold. They slashed at the monster, dodging her attacks and whirling around to face her. Soon enough, they had her cornered. With a single swipe of his bronze sword, Percy cut through the empousa, turning it to dust.

"What the heck was that?" Alya asked. She gasped. "Are you guys superheroes?"

The group of seven exchanged glances. "Do all of you know both of your parents?" Percy asked calmly. They all nodded.

He and Annabeth had a quiet exchange. Adrien caught "Four mortals. . .Mist. Not good."

After a minute, Percy looked at them again. "Have you ever heard of the Greek gods?"


	2. Absolutely Nothing

Percy looked at Marinette, Alya, Nino and Adrien. What were the chances of there being four mortals who could see through the Mist in the same city, let alone them being best friends?

"Have you ever heard of the Greek gods?" He asked them. Not surprisingly, they all nodded.

"What about them?" Adrien asked, confused.

Percy glanced around the area. More people were starting to show up around them. "Not here," he said. "Is there somewhere safe we can go?" Marinette looked at Alya, who shrugged.

"We could go to the school," Marinette offered. "The library, specifically. If anyone is there, we can tell them that you guys are exchange students and need help learning French."

"That's a great idea, Marinette," Frank said, smiling. Marinette blushed slightly.

"I already have that category locked up, though," Piper added, smiling. _"I like your outfit, Alya,"_ she said, switching to French.

"Thanks, Piper," Alya answered, grinning. She gave Piper a high-five. "How did you learn to speak so fluently?"

"My mom," Piper answered. Percy thought about it for a second. It wasn't the whole truth, but it was still true: since French is the language of love, all children of Aphrodite have it hardwired into them.

"Still, it's a good idea," Adrien supplied. Marinette blushed more deeply.

"Thanks, guys!" Marinette said. "Come on!"

In no time, they were in the empty library at Marinette's school. As it turned out, they didn't need to use any excuses. Nobody wanted to hang out at school on a weekend, at least to Percy's understanding. He sure wouldn't want to be there.

"So," Nino said once they were settled in, "what's all this talk about the Greek gods, dude?"

"They are still around," Leo said nonchalantly, picking up a random book, flipping a couple pages, and putting it back down. "And, oh yeah! They have lots of kids."

They all stared at him. Piper punched him in the arm again.

"Ow!" He said. He rubbed his arm and backed away from her. "What was that for?"

"You can't explain it like that!" She chided, then looked back at the four friends. "The Greek and Roman gods never really went away," she explained. "They moved around wherever the influence was greatest. Right now, they reside in America. They kept falling in love with mortals and having children with them. Children like us." She paused to let that sink in. "We are demigods: half mortal, half god."

"So. . .you think we're children of the gods too?" Marinette asked shaking slightly from all this new information.

"Actually, no," Annabeth added. "There's a magical barrier between our worlds called the Mist. It obscures the monsters and gods from mortal vision. Sometimes, however, there are mortals who can see through the Mist, like Percy's mom, or our friend Rachel. We think you four are like that."

"Whoa." Alya said. "So, descendants of the gods. . .that stuff's real?"

"Yeah," Hazel said. "We've been around since the Ancient times. The only real problem about modern demigods is, there are more monsters to go around. Demigods are like monster magnets, so you have to learn to fight early on."

"So which gods are you guys the children of?" Adrien asked. "Do you have any special powers?"

"How about we just go around?" Frank suggested. Everyone else nodded. "I'll start. I'm a son of Mars, the Roman god of war. I, um, can shapeshift into different animals. I'm also pretty good with a bow, but that's not really a Mars thing. So. Yeah."

"I'm a daughter of Pluto," Hazel said next. "The Roman god of riches and the Underworld. I can kind of sense death and I can shadow travel a bit, but not as well as my brother. I can also summon gems and precious metals."

"Okay, then. We've got a Robin Hood and a jewel thief then," Nino joked. He pointed at Leo. "What about you?"

"I happen to be a smokin' hot son of Hephaestus, the Greek god of forges," Leo said, grinning wildly. "I'm good at building and fixing things, and I have a special power that not many children of Hephaestus have. Don't freak out," he warned. That barely gave them enough time before he lit his hand on fire. Marinette was so surprised, she fell out of her seat. Alya giggled and helped her back up.

"I'm a son of Jupiter, the Roman god of the skies," Jason said. "I can summon lightning and I can control the winds. That's about all I got from him."

"I'm a daughter of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and beauty," Piper said next. "I can charmspeak, which not many children of Aphrodite can do. Basically, I can make people do whatever I want them to."

"She once got a BMW with her charmspeak," Leo interjected.

Piper punched him again. "I thought we agreed not to talk about that!" She hissed.

"Okay, okay! That's the last one. I swear," Leo said, shrinking away from her. Percy could tell that everyone was trying not to laugh.

Piper took a deep breath. "Anyway, I can charmspeak, and I can also tell when two people are in love," she added, looking pointedly at Marinette, who blushed deeply.

"I'm next, I guess," Percy said, thinking about his wording. "I'm a son of Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea. I can control water and some other liquids, and I can breathe underwater, which I think is pretty cool, seeing as I can kiss my wonderful girlfriend underwater with no time limit," Percy said, earning a swat on the arm from Annabeth. Hazel started fanning her face.

"And I'm a daughter of Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom," Annabeth continued. "I didn't get any powers from her. Just a whole lot of brainpower."

"Don't let that fool you, though," Percy said. "She can really pack a punch."

Marinette smiled a little. "So, how do you guys even survive with all those monsters coming after you?" She inquired.

"There are special camps that we go to," Leo said. "The Greek camp is Camp Half-Blood, and the Roman camp is Camp Jupiter. There's also the choice of becoming a Hunter of Artemis if you're a girl, but you would have to swear off dating. Then there are the Amazons, which are really powerful girls who keep men as slaves, kind of."

"We also don't really own or use electronics like cell phones," Annabeth added. "They send up a signal to the monsters, alerting them to our presence. Only some of us have cell phones for emergencies." Coincidentally, her phone began to ring. She took it out and looked at the screen. "Sorry, guys, I have to take this. I'll be outside."

"Wow," Adrien breathed as Annabeth left. "All of this is really real."

"Yeah. You four are some of the only mortals who know, other than the mortal parent of some demigods," Percy said, looking worriedly at the door. He got up. "Now that we have this settled, can we finish the walk around the city, please?"

Marinette shook her head, seemingly clearing her thoughts. "Of course," she said, getting up and grabbing her purse. Was it just Percy, or had it started moving? "Next stop, the Eiffel Tower!"

X-X-X

"So you guys are kind of like Ladybug and Cat Noir in your own way, right?" Alya asked on the way to the Eiffel Tower.

The demigods looked at each other, confused. "Who are Ladybug and Cat Noir?" Hazel asked.

"They're real-life superheroes!" Alya exclaimed, excited to explain to the demigods about her not-so-secret obsession. "They first showed up a few months ago. They use their special powers to take down Akumatized victims!"

"What's Akumatized?" Piper asked, confused.

"It's like, there are these little evil butterfly things called Akumas that this guy Hawkmoth controls. He uses them to make people with especially strong negative emotions evil! The Akumas inhabit an item on the victim, which allows Hawkmoth to communicate with the victim," Alya said. "He gives them special powers in return for them giving him Ladybug and Cat Noir's Miraculous, which is kind of like the source of their power. In order to return the victim to their original state, they have to break the item that the Akuma is in and Ladybug has to capture it to purify it."

"So who are Ladybug and Cat Noir really?" Leo asked, taking some wires out of his tool belt and tinkering with them.

"That's just it; nobody knows! They want to keep their identities secret, even from each other," Alya said, tapping on her phone. She turned it, revealing a picture. "This is a picture of them I have on my blog."

The demigods came closer, studying the picture. Annabeth studied the picture, still listening to the person on the other end of the phone. Her eyes widened slightly, and she looked at Marinette, then back at the picture. Marinette shrunk back and sat on a nearby bench to allow more room for everyone else.

She opened her purse once she was sure nobody was watching, and Tikki zipped out. "Children of the Ancient gods," Tikki said. "I knew there was something not quite human about them!"

"Yeah, looks like you were right on this one," Marinette agreed. She saw someone walking toward her. "Tikki, hide!"

Adrien came and sat next to her. "You okay, Marinette?" He asked. "That was a lot to take in, huh?"

"Um. Yeah," she answered, looking down. "I'm alright."

He frowned. "Are you sure? You were pretty quiet the whole way here."

"It's just a lot to process, that's all," Marinette said. "How about you?"

"I always kind of suspected that there was something different about them," he said, referring to the demigods. "I'm actually not that surprised. I mean, if superheroes like Ladybug and Cat Noir can exist, why can't Ancient gods?"

"That's some pretty good reasoning," she decided. She looked over at the rest of the group, where they were still talking about Ladybug and Cat Noir. "We should probably go back over there," she said.

"Yeah." Adrien got up, offering his hand to help Marinette up. She took it, blushing slightly.

"Thanks for checking on me," she said shyly.

"Sure. Do you think we should take them back to the park by school next?" He asked.

"That sounds good! Come on!" She exclaimed, going back to join the group.

All the way to the park, everyone was laughing and joking around. They were having a pretty great time together.

So of course, they just _had_ to run into Chloé.

Alya had gone to the back of the group to take selfies with everyone again. Annabeth was still talking quietly on her phone, speaking soothing words to someone named Magnus, when Marinette heard an unmistakable voice: "ADRIKINS!"

Chloé came up to the group and pushed Marinette aside, knocking her to the ground. Adrien sighed. "Hey, Chloé," he said in a bored voice.

"What are you doing, Adrien?" Chloé asked, batting her eyelashes. Piper came over and helped her up, making a fake gagging expression. Marinette laughed quietly. "Don't you wanna come hang out with me instead of this group of losers?"

"Who's that?" Piper whispered to Marinette.

"Chloé. She's the mayor's daughter. She is apparently set on ruining my life," Marinette groaned.

Meanwhile, Adrien was still trying to find a polite way to tell Chloé to shove off. Piper suddenly got a determined look on her face.

"Actually, Chloé, he was helping show me and my friends around town," Piper said, walking up to her. She shot Adrien an expression that said I got this.

"Who are you?" Chloé asked in a disgusted tone.

"Oh, sorry, I forgot to introduce myself!" Piper said in a fake polite tone. "I'm Piper McLean. My friends and I are visiting from America."

Chloé looked her over. "They're not very fashion-forward in America, are they?" She asked.

"Oh, there are plenty of fashionable people where I'm from. I just choose not to be like them," Piper shot back. "I like to think I have my own style, instead of just following the herd."

"Hold on a minute," Adrien said. "McLean? As in, Tristan McLean, the actor?"

For a moment, Piper's face looked horrified that he had put that together. "Yeah," she said, a little bit of her bravado disappearing. She straightened again. "That's my father."

"That's where I've seen you before!" Adrien said. "I've seen some pictures with you and your dad in magazines."

"I don't really like to publicize that my dad is a movie star," Piper said, "but props for figuring it out so fast. I may not look like a movie star's daughter, but it's true. My dad tried to keep me away from the paparazzi as much as possible."

"Probably because he was ashamed of having someone like you as a daughter," Chloé snickered.

Marinette looked at them like it was a tennis match. _"What do you mean, someone like me?"_ Piper asked, switching to French.

_"What I mean is, trashy clothes, ugly hair. You're nowhere near as gorgeous as your father,"_ Chloé responded. _"There is no way possible that you are telling the truth."_

_"At least I don't use my father as an excuse for everything,"_ Piper retorted. _"Now, if you'll excuse us, we have a tour to finish."_

_"How about no? Everyone respects me and loves me! I'm the mayor's daughter, for crying out loud!"_ Chloé said, stomping her foot.

_"That's exactly what I mean! And not everyone loves and respects you."_ She put her arm around Marinette, who looked up at her confident face. _"I don't need anyone telling me what to do just because they're so-and-so's child. And you know what? Don't call my friends losers."_

Sensing trouble, everyone else stared at the two of them. Even Annabeth told Magnus that she would have to call him back. Marinette was astounded. She had never really seen anyone stand up to Chloé like this.

_"Piper, it's okay-"_ Marinette started. Piper shook her head.

_"No. This is not okay."_ She stared at Chloé, her kaleidoscope eyes blaring with pent-up anger. _"Being a bully is not okay, and I would appreciate it if you stop."_

_"I would appreciate it if you back off, dumpster girl,"_ Chloé said. _"You're not welcome here."_

_"Chloé!"_ Adrien said, shocked. _"Take that back!"_

_"Absolutely not. If she thinks she can come into my city and tell me what to do, she is absolutely mistaken."_

Piper looked like she was about to charge, but Marinette grabbed her arm. _"I'm sorry. You didn't have to do that for me."_

_"I'm not done yet,"_ she said. _"Chloé, you are a stuck-up brat and you need to stop pushing people around."_

Chloé scoffed. _"Please. I've heard the rumors about your mom. I bet the reason she left is because you're so ugly. Your face probably drove her away. That's probably why your dad's acting is so good; he'd rather act like someone else than own up to the fact that you're his daughter!"_

Alya, Marinette, Nino and Adrien gasped, shocked. Piper stood there, looking dazed. _"Go. Away."_ She charmspoke. As Chloé walked away laughing, she turned to Alya, Marinette, Nino and Adrien. _"Please don't tell anyone what she said."_ She starting walking back to rejoin the group.

Marinette watched as Jason came up beside Piper, holding her hand. "What did she say to you, Pipes?" He asked, worried.

Marinette began to answer, but Piper shot her a look. "Nothing," she said stiffly. "She said absolutely nothing at all."

X-X-X

Hawkmoth stood as the window to his room opened, illuminating the room.

"Ah, nothing hurts more that being made fun of because of your parentage," Hawkmoth said. A butterfly fluttered and landed on his palm. He covered it with his other hand and dark matter was absorbed into the butterfly.

"Fly, my little Akuma, and evillize her!" The Akuma flew out of the window and into the streets of Paris, searching for its prey.


	3. Charmed, I'm Sure

Piper longed to punch that girl Chloé in the face. She had no idea how much it hurt to be bullied. Everyone kept asking if she was okay, and she had to hide how much she was really hurt by Chloé's words.

"Hey, guys," she said as they sat down by the fountain in the middle of the park. "I'm gonna go back to the library for a second. I think I left something there."

Jason frowned. "Want me to go with you?" He asked.

She kissed his cheek. "Thanks, but no. I'll be right next door. It's okay." She got up and started over to the school.

"Do you think she's really okay?" She heard Hazel ask.

"I think she just needs some time alone," Annabeth responded. "Give her a few minutes; she'll be fine."

Piper smiled to herself. Annabeth was really great; she knew when Piper just needed to be alone and never bothered her when this happened.

As soon as she got into the library, a tear trickled down her cheek. She hated bullies, especially when they were targeting her and her friends.

She looked down at her wrist at the charm bracelet her dad had given her before they came to Paris. She hadn't shown anyone, even Jason, because she felt that it was a special bond with her dad, one she didn't want to share with anyone.

"How can people be so mean?" She whispered, looking at the different charms; a feather, a heart, an Eiffel Tower, a lipstick and a fluffy white cat.

Suddenly, she heard fluttering. She looked up, but nothing was there. "Who's there?" She asked.

The fluttering stopped. Slowly, she relaxed her posture. She put her head down on the table and took a deep breath.

Piper didn't notice when the Akuma landed on her Eiffel Tower charm, turning it a deep purple. She looked up, the red outline of a butterfly appearing on her face.

"I am Hawkmoth," a voice said to her. "And you are now Beauty Queen. In addition to the power you already hold, I have bestowed upon you even more. In return, however, you must give me Ladybug and Cat Noir's Miraculouses."

"Of course, Hawkmoth," Piper said. The butterfly outline disappeared and dark matter crept up her body.

X-X-X

"She's been gone a while," Adrien noticed. "Do you think we should check on her?"

"I'm sure she's fine," Annabeth said, ducking as Percy tried to splash her with water from the fountain. "She just needed some time, is all."

"I don't know about this one, Annabeth," Jason said. "It's been almost fifteen minutes. It shouldn't take that long to find something."

Annabeth's face grew serious. "That is true."

"I'll go check on her," Marinette and Adrien said at the same time. They looked at each other and blushed.

"You both can go," Alya said, pushing Marinette closer to Adrien. "Safety in numbers, right?"

"Right," Percy agreed. "We'll wait here."

Marinette and Adrien walked over to the school, barely saying a word to each other.

"Why do you think she was taking so long?" Adrien asked, breaking the silence.

"I don't know. I don't believe that she lost something in the library. After all those mean things Chloé said to her, she might've just needed some time alone," Marinette answered. She walked up to the door, but Adrien got there first and held it open for her. "Thanks."

"You're welcome, Marinette," he said. They entered the library and looked around.

"Piper?" Marinette called. "Are you here?" Nobody answered.

"She's. . .gone," Adrien said. He started running toward the door. "We need to tell the others!"

Marinette ran after him. Moments later, they were back in the park. "Piper's gone!" Adrien said, coming to a stop. Marinette stumbled, almost sending Hazel into the fountain.

"What?" Jason asked, coming up to them. "Where could she have gone?"

"We don't know," Marinette said. "She just. . .disappeared. The library was still in the same order as it was when we were there last, so it might not've been a monster."

"But if it wasn't a monster, then what was it?" Percy asked. They all looked toward Annabeth.

"What?" She said. "Just because I'm a child of the wisdom goddess doesn't mean I have all the answers!"

Percy wrapped his arms around her. "I know you better than that, Wise Girl. What do you think it was?"

Annabeth sighed. "Is there any chance that it could've been one of the Akumatized victims got Piper?" She asked them.

"I don't know. I guess it's possible. . ." Adrien trailed off as he noticed something shiny come flying toward them. "What's that?"

They looked to where he was pointing. "Duck!" Frank said, covering Hazel.

They watched it as it came hurtling towards them. Close up, it looked kind of like. . . "A bubble charm?" Marinette said. "What could that mean?"

She got her answer soon enough when the charm bumped into Nino. A glow came around his body as he was transformed back into the Bubbler.

"Nino!" Adrien called as the Bubbler began to run away. "Where are you going?"

"What's going on?" Hazel asked in a small voice.

"He was. . .re-Akumatized?" Marinette said, unsure. "But there wasn't an Akuma flying around! And on top of that, he didn't have any strong negative emotions."

"It was the charm," Annabeth realized. "The bubble charm. Once it bumped into him, it turned him back into the Bubbler, yeah? So maybe, someone else was Akumatized, and they sent the charm out to change him back into a villain, too."

"That's gotta be it!" Alya said. Her face darkened. "Oh, no!" She pointed quickly at the phone-shaped charm coming towards them.

"Alya, run!" Adrien said. "Don't let it hit you!"

Alya ran as fast as she could, trying to escape the charm that was coming toward her. Finally, it hit her in the back, turning her into Lady Wifi for the third time. As soon as she was fully transformed, she took off running in the same direction the Bubbler had.

"I've got to go after Nino!" Adrien said, running after them.

"What in Hades is going on here?" He heard Leo ask.

"Um. Stay here, I'll go get help!" Marinette ordered.

As soon as Adrien was out of earshot and nobody was around, he opened his jacket, letting Plagg out.

"What do you want?" Plagg complained. "I was sleeping!"

"Sorry, but I need to transform. Something bad is happening, and I have no idea what it is."

"So what?" Plagg yawned.

"So. . .Plagg, claws out!"

In just moments, he transformed into Cat Noir. He went around the park on foot, going towards where the Bubbler and Lady Wifi had run off to. He stopped suddenly when he saw the demigods gathered in front of him. He crouched down behind them, listening.

Jason pointed to a faint pink glow coming from the open gym by the school. "That's it," he pointed. "That's where they are."

"Nice job figuring that one out," Cat said from behind them. They whirled around, weapons at the ready. "Whoa, guys," he said, putting his hands up. "It's okay."

"Cat Noir?" Hazel asked, lowering her sword slightly.

He grinned and winked. "You bet. Have you guys seen Ladybug, by any chance?"

"Yeah," Percy answered. "She told us that our friends were going to be alright."

"Who?" Cat Noir asked. "I'll keep an eye out for them, too."

"Piper," Jason started. "And Marinette and Adrien. Ladybug promised that she would bring them back safely. And Alya and Nino were re-Akumatized or something."

"I'll keep an eye out for them," Cat promised. "In the meantime, why don't you guys stay put."

Leo laughed. "That's what Ladybug said to do. A word of warning: we're not very good at following orders."

Cat Noir smirked at him. "What's that supposed to mean? You want to come fight?"

"Yes," Annabeth said. "We have the experience, and the odds will be a little more favorable with us fighting at your side."

"Let me guess; children of the Greek and Roman gods?" Cat asked, trying to sound nonchalant.

Annabeth squinted at him. "How did you know that?" She asked suspiciously.

"I know all about your kind," Cat answered. "My power is ancient, too."

"If you know so much about us, then you should know to let us come fight," Annabeth insisted.

"You realize that your weapons won't really do any good. Hurting the victims won't help."

"We know how to fight in more ways than one," Annabeth said, smiling slightly.

"Fine, then. Let's roll."

X-X-X

Jason looked from where his friends and Cat Noir were hiding in the stadium.

Already, ten villains were gathered around a floating figure in the center. The figure turned, facing them. He saw a flash of red on the roof of the stadium, probably Ladybug, duck behind a chimney. Jason looked back at the figure and noticed it had a feminine face Her body was covered with a pink tight-fitting pageant-style dress, an elaborate pink butterfly-shaped mask covering the top half of her face. He couldn't see her eyes, but he noticed a circle of charms hovering around her.

Suddenly, the girl moved. She chose a charm and, by pointing at it, made it rise. It looked kind of like a parasol. "Stormy Weather," the girl said, her voice strong with power. "Come to me!" With a slight push, she sent the charm hurtling into the sky to find its target.

A noise came from above the group. Jason looked up in time to see Ladybug swinging down to meet them.

"What are you doing here?" She hissed to the demigods. "I told you to stay put!"

"It's alright, my lady," Cat Noir said, greeting her. "They just wanted in on this little game of cat and mouse."

"It's too dangerous here! Go back!" She said, ignoring Cat's pun. He smiled, satisfied.

"Ladybug. With just you and Cat Noir fighting, the fight is twenty-seven to two. With us fighting by your side, the odds are a little better," Annabeth said.

"No. Even with the two of us, taking on one of the Akumatized victims is tough. There have been a few instances where they almost won. If this new villain is summoning all of those victims. . ." Ladybug trailed off.

"Exactly! They almost won a few times when it was just us! Come on, LB, they know the risks. They have training in fighting. They could help!" Cat pleaded. "We need all the help we can get."

Ladybug sighed. "Well, I can't argue with that." She looked back at the demigods. "Fine, you guys can stay. Try not to get captured or influenced by the villain's control."

The girl turned toward them. Even though she didn't notice them, from this angle, they could see her eyes.

"That's Piper," Jason whispered, shocked. He looked closer at her kaleidoscope-colored eyes.

"You're right," Percy said. "That's her."

"Where could the Akuma be hiding?" Cat asked. "Did she have any items with her?"

"Only her dagger," Leo answered.

"No," Jason said, a sinking feeling in his stomach.

"What do you mean, 'No?'" Annabeth asked murderously. "Jason, she did bring her dagger to the library, didn't she?"

Slowly, he opened his backpack, revealing a sheathed dagger. "She left it with me before she went to the library. Other than her dagger, Piper didn't have any items on her. She didn't even have any feathers in her hair today."

"Where could the Akuma be, then?" Cat Noir wondered.

"We'll figure that out later. Now, we need to try delaying her from bringing back-" Ladybug started.

"Copycat," Piper said. "Come to me!"

"Great. Now we have two lookalike cats," Ladybug grumbled.

"Hey! How is that a bad thing?" Cat protested.

"May I remind you of how Copycat almost took your Miraculous last time?" She said.

"Oh, yeah! Right," he said.

"So what do we do? How do we defeat them all?" Frank asked, gripping his bow.

"I. . ." Ladybug started. She sighed, looking down with a defeated look on her face. "I don't know. If the Akuma is only on Piper, then I don't know how to turn them back." Cat put his hand on her shoulder.

"I think I know," Annabeth said. Everyone looked at her. "The charm is what's turning these people into villains, right? So if we break the item that the Akuma was originally in, then the charm may show up like the Akuma did, and we can destroy it."

Ladybug was silent for a minute. "That could work!" She said finally, giving the older girl a fist bump.

"Hey, I thought that was our thing!" Cat Noir teased. Ladybug smiled and rolled her eyes.

"Alright. Pay attention. Here are the villain's names and where the Akuma is." She rattled off the list. "Got that?"

"Yes," everyone chorused.

"No," Leo said sheepishly. "You lost me at 'pay attention.' Sorry!"

Ladybug sighed. "Just stick by someone who knows the list and you'll be fine. Here's the plan. . ."


	4. A Plan of Action

As soon as all twenty-seven villains were present, their plan went into action.

Jason went out, everyone else following him. Ladybug and Cat Noir swung up onto a building to watch them and wait.

"Piper!" Jason called out. She turned and stared at him.

"I am not Piper, not anymore," she said, a sinister tone in her voice. "My name is now Beauty Queen!"

Leo laughed. "Are you kidding me? After all this time of you telling me not to call you that? Ha!"

Her eyes grew cold. "I'd tread carefully if I were you. I have an army of villains. You have six little warriors. You can't defeat me. And I suspect that Ladybug and Cat Noir are here somewhere." She smiled evilly, putting power into her voice. "Come out, come out, wherever you are!" She singsonged.

Ladybug and Cat Noir walked stiffly to the edge of the roof, as if they were being controlled by an outside force. Looks of terror crossed their faces. "What's going on?" Ladybug called to them.

"It's her charmspeak!" Hazel called back. "She can make you do whatever you want!"

"Well then. That dress is very charming, Beauty Queen, but I'm not feline very attracted to you," Cat quipped. Ladybug groaned.

"Now isn't the time for puns, Cat Noir," She said.

"That was a good one, though!" Leo called up, grinning. Cat smiled back and gave him a thumbs-up.

Beauty Queen smiled. "I don't appreciate puns. However, I feel like being fair right now. So how about this: We'll do a stadium-style matchup between one of you and one of my army. If you manage to release their charms, then I will let them go. If they manage to capture you, however, you will become my prisoner! Defeat all of my army, and one of you will fight me! If you do fight me, be warned: it will be all or nothing, weapons allowed. Lose, and Ladybug and Cat Noir will have to give me their Miraculouses. So what'll it be? Will you take the deal, or do you want to take your chances fighting all of us at once?"

Cat Noir and Ladybug whispered a little on the roof, then jumped down, landing next to the demigods. "We'll take the deal, Beauty Queen," Cat Noir said.

"Swear on the River Styx you'll let them go if we defeat them fair and square," Annabeth called out to her.

"All right. I hereby swear on the River Styx that, should any of you defeat one of my army, I will release them, and the fights will be totally random. I also swear not to use my charmspeak to influence any of you during any battles, other than the one against me." Thunder boomed, sealing the oath.

"Perfect!" She created colored charms in front of her: replicas of the ones she used to control the villains, and one for each of the demigods, Ladybug and Cat Noir. They started spinning around. "Who will go first, I wonder?" She pointed at one of the charms from each circle. "First up! Antibug versus Hazel! Everyone else, please proceed to the stands!"

X-X-X

Ladybug went to the stands and took a seat next to Leo. On her other side, Cat Noir sat, staring out onto the field. Hazel was fiddling with her hair, waiting for Beauty Queen to start the match.

"How do you think she'll do?" Ladybug asked Cat Noir. He looked over at her.

"Well, she's a little small, and about three years younger than us, so that may put her at a slight disadvantage. I don't really think Antibug is much of a threat to anyone, unless she uses her anti-charm. I think Hazel will defeat her easily," Cat analyzed.

"If anything, Hazel will have a slight advantage because of her size," Leo said on Ladybug's other side. "Also, since the charm is in Antibug's earrings, she could use her powers to attract them."

Before either of them can respond, Beauty Queen called their attention. "Are both contestants ready?" She asked from the other side of the gym. They both nodded. "Begin!"

Almost immediately, Antibug began attacking Hazel with her yoyo. Hazel dodged all of the attacks, trying to go in and take her earrings unsuccessfully.

After a couple minutes of going back and forth, Antibug broke away from Hazel. Before Hazel could charge again, she called out "Anticharm!"

"Uh oh," Ladybug muttered as a red-spotted black sheet materialized. Grinning wickedly, she started chasing Hazel with it.

Hazel shook her head, seemingly to clear her thoughts. Concentrating hard, she stood there, waiting. Suddenly, Antibug threw the blanket on top of her, holding her down.

"Match over!" Beauty Queen announced, a smug smile on her face. "The winner is-" She broke off as Hazel appeared behind Antibug, running full force. The blanket in Antibug's hands dropped to the ground, empty.

"But- what-" Antibug stammered, staring at the blanket. Before she could turn around, Hazel stuck out her hand. Antibug's earrings flew off of her and into Hazel's outstretched hand. She threw them onto the ground and crushed them under her foot, releasing the charm.

"She did it!" Frank cheered.

"How did she do that?" Cat Noir asked.

"She didn't tell you? She can control the Mist!" Leo whooped.

Beauty Queen stared at the center of the gym. "I'm true to my word," she said. With her finger, she summoned Antibug's charm. "Chloé, go home," she ordered. Without looking back, she ran out of the stadium. "She won't remember any of this," Beauty Queen said, watching her leave. "She'll just go back to doing whatever a spoiled brat like her would've been doing before I charmed her. Shall we start the next match?"

The next three matches went exactly as planned, with Leo, Percy and Frank defeating Kung Food, Copycat and Stoneheart.

"Next!" Beauty Queen announced, charms spinning. "Darkblade versus Cat Noir!"

"You got this, Cat," Ladybug said as he stood up.

He looked at her. "I hope so. The only reason I didn't get pulverized by Darkblade last time was because you were there to save me," he said in a low voice. He walked down the steps and onto the field. "Wish me luck."

"Good luck," she whispered to his retreating figure. She felt uneasy seeing him so sad. It was true, what he said, but he had gotten so much better since then! He had to win.

X-X-X

Percy watched Cat Noir walk onto the field. Strangely, something about all these villains made him feel relaxed. He had faced much worse circumstances a lot.

"Hey." Annabeth put her arm through his. "What are you thinking about?"

"I'm thinking that somehow, no matter how bad this situation gets, I'll always know that you and I faced worse."

She made a face. "You mean Tartarus?"

"Well, yes, but I didn't think about that specifically. Even though there are eight of us and. . ." he did some quick math. "Twenty of them, we've faced worse with Kronos, Gaea. . .really, almost any battle we've been in, this situation is better."

"Twenty-three, actually. And, you're right." She laid her head on his shoulder. "I just hope everything turns out alright. If they start picking us off, we could all be prisoners and Ladybug and Cat Noir would lose their powers."

Before he could respond, a loud clang made them look at the fight that had commenced. Their eyes widened. Darkblade had knocked Cat Noir's staff out of his hands, rendering him defenseless.

"Cat! Don't use your Cataclysm yet! Save it!" Ladybug shouted, standing.

Darkblade started backing Cat Noir into a corner. Percy turned to Annabeth. "Is there anything he could do to win without using his Cataclysm?"

Annabeth thought for a moment, studying the field. Finally, she shook her head. "No," she said gravely.

Sure enough, a few seconds later, Darkblade had cornered Cat Noir, his sword pressed against Cat's throat.

"Enough." Beauty Queen said, smiling coldly. "Cat Noir, you will be my first prisoner!" She picked his charm from the air and lifted it. On the field, Cat rose.

"No!" Ladybug cried out as Beauty Queen placed the charm in a large, barred cage.

"That cage is inescapable," Beauty Queen announced. "It blocks out powers as well. The only way to open it is with my unlocking charm. Next up, Animan versus Annabeth!"

X-X-X

Cat Noir almost drowned in his thoughts. He was angry himself for getting defeated so quickly; nervous that everyone else would soon become prisoners; and most of all, depressed, because he knew that he was useless without Ladybug.

He knew she would say the opposite, but he couldn't capture and purify Akumas. He couldn't create things. He couldn't fix everything the way she did.

All he could do was destroy, which was what he just did; destroy some of the odds of them beating the villains.

He shook his head, clearing his thoughts as Beauty Queen released Otis the zookeeper, Annabeth having released his charm. Two more matches went by without another prisoner being taken.

He decided to watch the next one: Pixelator against Percy. Having been digitalized by Pixelator twice, he shuddered at the thought of someone going against him with the consequences for losing this high. He looked at the stands and saw Annabeth kiss Percy on the cheek, wishing him luck. He smiled to himself. That was what he wanted him and Ladybug to be eventually. But for now, he supposed, being good friends and partners was okay.

Before the battle began, Beauty Queen spoke. "To keep this match fair, the opponent should know: if you have your picture taken by Pixelator, you will be immediately transported into the cage. Begin!"

Percy took a ballpoint pen out of his pocket for some reason. As he uncapped it, though, it grew into a sword. "Just in case," he said.

Pixelator started trying to take pictures of him, adjusting whenever he moved. Percy kept running, trying to avoid the camera beam.

One beam came really close. Percy just barely managed to step out of the way before the beam hit his sword, making it clatter into the cage, back in pen form.

The metallic clang made Percy look over. "Percy, watch out!" Annabeth screamed from the stands. As soon as he turned around, Pixelator captured him in a camera flash. "Percy!" Annabeth shouted again as he disappeared. The next moment, however, he materialized next to Cat Noir in the cage.

"So, we just sit here and watch?" Percy asked, resting his chin on his hand.

"Pretty much," Cat answered. "Unless you want to hear a few cat jokes."

"Uh, that's okay," Percy said. Annabeth was still staring at him. He gave her a thumbs-up and blew her a kiss, which seemed to appease her.

"How long have you two been together?" Cat asked him, noticing how close they acted.

"Dating? About a year or so. We met when we were twelve, though," he answered. He smiled at a memory. "The first thing she ever said to me was 'You drool when you sleep.' She then showed me around camp at our director's orders. Then I accidentally sprayed her with toilet water. How about you? When did you first meet Ladybug?"

Cat laughed as Frank got ready to face Guitar Villain. "Only a few months ago. The first thing Ladybug ever said to me was 'I'm sorry, I didn't do it on purpose.'" Percy gave him a strange look. "The first time we met was before we knew how to fully use our powers. She came out of nowhere when I was balancing on my staff and crashed into me, tangling the both of us up with her yoyo. I believe I said to her, 'Well, hey there. Nice of you to drop in.' She introduced herself as 'Madly Clumsy' at first, because when she tugged her yoyo back down, it hit my head. Later, she told me that her name was Ladybug."

"Wow, man. I thought I had it bad for Annabeth," Percy said, noticing Cat Noir looking longingly at Ladybug, who was focused on the ongoing fight. "How long have you loved her?"

"Since she captured that first Akuma," Cat answered immediately. He shook his head. "But she keeps pushing me away, and we don't even know who the other really is. We could hate each other in real life. Or worse, not even know each other."

"It'll turn out okay," Percy assured him. "Just give it time. It took a whole summer to get Annabeth to not hate me, and another four years to get her to go out with me. And over those four years, we both almost died multiple times." He sucked in a breath as if getting ready for a big confession. "I really knew she loved me when she took a knife for me. If she hadn't intercepted it, I wouldn't be here."

"So what are you saying? I should almost die a lot and take a knife for her?" Cat asked, slightly confused.

"No, no. It doesn't have to be nearly that drastic. The nearly-dying-a-lot thing, that comes with being a demigod. I'm just saying, keep trying. Don't give up."

"Are you sure?" Cat asked uneasily.

"Absolutely. Just keep being yourself."

Suddenly, Frank materialized into the cage with them. Percy groaned. "No, man," he said.

Frank blushed a deep red. "Sorry, Percy."

"Nah, it's okay. We can't win them all," he replied, patting Frank on the back.

After Frank, Jason soon followed, leaving Leo and the girls to finish up. However, Leo was next to come into the cage after Jason.

"Maybe we should make this a man-cave," Jason suggested, laughing.

"Yeah," Cat agreed. "We could decorate it with anything we wanted, and not let the girls in."

"Hear that girls?" Leo shouted to them. "This is a boys-only zone! No girls allowed!"

They cracked up laughing, glad for the reason to smile.

"Next match: Darkblade versus Ladybug!"


	5. All Up to Her

Hazel watched Ladybug fight first Darkblade and then Timebreaker, defeating each one in a matter of minutes. She definitely had the advantage, having dealt with these villains before. Hazel, on the other hand, was lucky she didn't lose in the first round.

She had felt a little out of place earlier, being the youngest there, but she knew she had surprised Ladybug and Cat Noir with her skills. She was used to being a little underestimated, but it felt great to prove that she was just as good as everyone else, especially when they were a few years older than her. Technically, she was a few decades older than them, but still.

Annabeth was fighting Volpina now. Ladybug had warned them about Volpina; she could use her magic flute to create illusions that looked real. She told them about how Volpina had almost gotten her Miraculous before by giving her an ultimatum: either she gave up her Miraculous, or Volpina would drop Adrien, whom she had taken. Everything turned out alright, though it was a close call.

She looked at Frank, who was sitting in the giant cage. He and the other boys were laughing about some story Cat Noir was telling them. He and Ladybug seemed like really cool people, and she could tell that Cat really like Ladybug. He tried a lot to impress her, but never crossed the line. He kind of reminded her of Frank before they started dating.

Hazel watched Annabeth take Volpina's necklace and crush it, revealing the fox charm that was inside it.

When she got back to the stands, Hazel and Ladybug went over to congratulate her. "How did you defeat her so fast?" Ladybug asked, amazed. "It took me and Cat over an hour!"

"Well, the situations were different. When you fought her, she pretended she was a superhero like you and Cat Noir, right? So even though you figured she wasn't really a superhero right away, it took a while for you to convince Cat Noir. Here, it was just me fighting her one-on-one, and I didn't need to convince anyone that she wasn't what she said she was," Annabeth said.

"How did you get past the illusions?" Hazel asked next.

"Just. . .thinking. I can't really explain it, but there was something that just tipped me off to the illusions. I'm just really glad she didn't show me any spiders or scenes from Tartarus."

Hazel knew to leave it there. Tartarus was still a touchy subject for her and Percy. They weren't really the same when they came back. In addition to all the new scars they had, they seemed emotionally scarred as well, and nothing can heal that.

"Next fight: Simon Says against Ladybug!"

Ladybug rolled her eyes. "I hate that guy."

"What does he do again?" Hazel asked Annabeth as Ladybug made her way to the field.

"He uses his cards to get people to do what he wants," Annabeth reminded her. "Kind of like Piper's charmspeak."

All of a sudden, Hazel felt sick. She didn't like the fact that they had to fight Piper at the end of this. She didn't know what Chloé said to Piper, but it must have been pretty bad for Piper to experience such negative emotions. She wished Piper would tell them, but also hoped that she never did. On the one hand, she wanted to be able to comfort Piper, but on the other, she didn't want to hear the mean things Chloé had said to her.

". . .Hazel? Hazel, you okay?" Annabeth asked, waving a hand in front of Hazel's face.

"What?" Hazel asked. She looked down at her hands, her hands tightly gripping the bar in front of her.

"I said, I think Ladybug will be able to pull this one off," Annabeth said, a concerned look on her face. "You didn't respond. You kind of zoned out."

"Oh, sorry. Yeah, I think Ladybug will defeat Simon Says," Hazel said, loosening her grip on the bar.

"Are you sure you're okay? You don't look so good," Annabeth asked.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine," Hazel said, focusing her attention on Ladybug. Every time Simon Says threw a card at her, she sliced it in half with her yoyo.

"Simon Says your yoyo is useless!" Simon Says called out, throwing the card at Ladybug. It sped toward her, connecting with her yoyo, which dropped to the ground.

"Not again!" Cat Noir groaned from the cage.

"Simon Says go into the cage!" The villain said, flinging another card at Ladybug. She managed to jump away from it, and ran from the other ten that flew her way.

Suddenly, the villain's face lit up. "Simon Says lights out!" The whole battlefield turned pitch-black.

Hazel could hear Cat Noir calling out to Ladybug. "He's right in front of you, Ladybug! Can't you see him?"

"Might I remind you again, not all of us have night vision?" She called up to him, annoyed.

"Simon Says go into the cage!" Simon Says called once more. A bright light flashed as the card ran into Ladybug, who then transported into the cage.

"Uh oh," Annabeth muttered. "That leaves us with seven villains to defeat on our own, not counting Piper."

"Match over!" Beauty Queen announced happily. "Next up: Dark Cupid against Hazel!"

X-X-X

"I can't believe that! How could I have been so stupid?" Ladybug groaned in the cage as the battles commenced.

"Hey, it's okay, my lady. You can't be the hero all the time," Cat Noir said, attempting to comfort her.

"Yeah, Annabeth and Hazel could defeat all of them if they need to," Frank offered.

"I know, but how can we capture the Akuma from in here?" Ladybug asked, pointing out the obvious.

"Um. . ." Cat Noir started. "Well, I'm sure we'll think of something."

Ladybug sighed and took a seat next to Jason. She noticed him staring at Beauty Queen. "Was that girl your girlfriend?" She asked quietly.

"Yeah," he said sadly. "She's a really good person. Earlier, there was this girl, Chloé- they started arguing in French, so I couldn't understand them- but I knew she said some pretty mean things to her. Piper wouldn't tell me what, so I knew it was bad. She's usually so great, like at camp, she took over as head counselor in the Aphrodite cabin after physically being at camp for only a few days. The previous counselor, Drew, was kind of like Chloé; she thought she was the absolute best and treated everyone else like trash." He paused. "Sorry if you actually like Chloé."

Ladybug shook her head. "Actually, I agree with you. She can be a real bully at times, and the other times, she's just plain annoying. Every time Cat Noir and I have to protect her, she always bugs me to take selfies with her," she said in a low voice.

Jason smiled a bit. He was about to say something more when Hazel appeared into the cage.

Ladybug paled, looking at Annabeth standing alone on the opposite side of the field, staring at a random spot in the field. She turned to the others. "We may have a problem."

"No kidding," Cat Noir said, watching Annabeth run around the field, nobody else to be seen. "She's fighting Vanisher. She's going to be tough to defeat."

"Not only that. She's the only one of us left, with three more people to fight and Beauty Queen."

"I wouldn't worry too much," Percy said comfortingly. "Annabeth has been training since she was seven. She's fought at much worse odds than this. I think she'll be able to pull through."

"Yeah, like in Rome," Leo remembered. "She went on this solo death quest thing, defeated gods-know-what, pushed Arachne into Tartarus, and recovered the Athena Parthenos, which nobody had seen for centuries. _And_ she did most of it with a broken ankle."

"Whoa," Cat said, astonished.

"That's not all," Leo continued. "Then she and Percy survived being in Tartarus, which only one other demigod had ever survived in history."

Percy shuddered at the memory. "Can we not talk about that now, please? Let's just focus on-"

"Match over! Annabeth is the winner!" Beauty Queen declared. They looked over to where Annabeth stood next to a dirt-covered figure, a broken brooch on the ground at their feet. "Next up: Annabeth versus Princess Fragrance!"

"We need to get thinking of a plan if Annabeth goes on to fight Beauty Queen," Ladybug said. "I can't capture the Akuma from here, and it doesn't look like any of us can get out in any way."

"We'll get out in time," Jason said. "We need to save Piper, one way or another."

Percy looked back onto the field at his girlfriend. "Right now, though, we just have to believe that Annabeth will pull through."


	6. It's All In the Charms

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Forewarning: I've been told that this chapter is really OOC

Annabeth was exhausted. She's had just defeated three of Hawkmoth's victims in a row, and now she had to fight Piper? She would be at a huge disadvantage!

"You can do this, Wise Girl!" Percy called out from the cage.

"If anything happens to me, I have ambrosia in my backpack," she responded, wanting to have an emergency plan.

Percy frowned at her. "Don't think like that. You can beat her in a heartbeat."

"Yeah, if I wasn't so tired. She might beat me, Percy! Right now, she's stronger than me. She has charmspeak, she's good with weapons. . ." She raised and dropped her arms. Horrible thoughts seeped into her brain. "I'm not at my best now, Percy. She could kill me."

"Annabeth, no. Just find the Akuma and release it," he insisted.

"We don't even know where the Akuma is!" She yelled back. "And here's a reminder: the only person who can capture the Akuma is STUCK IN THERE WITH YOU! How can she capture it from in there?"

"Just hold her off! We'll think of something," Ladybug said confidently.

Annabeth turned away and faced Beauty Queen. "Ready," she announced nervously, drawing her drakon-bone sword.

Using a charm (since she didn't have Katoptris), Beauty Queen summoned a new dagger made of Celestial bronze. Before charging, Annabeth looked over Beauty Queen, hoping to see a familiar object on her. Unfortunately, there was nothing.

"I heard those compliments you gave me," Beauty Queen said. "And you're right; I can kill you. However, I would rather it be fair, so I won't use charmspeak to kill you. I have plenty of other ways to kill you."

Enraged, Annabeth ran at her, slicing at her dress. If she couldn't find the Akuma, she might as well destroy the dress. Piper would thank her later.

If either of them got out of this.

She quickly shook that thought from her head, tearing the skirt of the dress. "That's not going to stop me!" Beauty Queen laughed. She slashed with her dagger, and a thin cut opened on Annabeth's arm.

"Can she do that to her?" Annabeth heard Cat Noir ask.

"All or nothing," Hazel answered sadly. "She's pulling out all the stops. She's doing what we were trained to do."

Annabeth looked at the cut, seeing a small trickle of blood running down her arm. It stung, but she knew she could pull through it. It wasn't bad enough where she couldn't move her arm. It certainly wasn't the worst injury she'd ever gotten.

"You okay, Annabeth?" Percy called to her.

"I'm fine!" She answered, dodging another attack. A glint of silver caught her eye. She ran from Beauty Queen, examining the unlocking charm. "That's it!" She muttered. "But where is the Akuma?"

"You won't find it," Beauty Queen said from behind her. Annabeth cursed under her breath. While she was looking at the charm, she didn't notice Beauty Queen come up behind her. She backed up, hitting the gym's wall. Beauty Queen walked up to her, their faces inches away from each other. Annabeth tried to raise her sword, but Beauty Queen attacked, cutting a deep gash in Annabeth's sword arm. She dropped her weapon and cried out in pain.

"Annabeth!" Percy yelled, up against the edge of the cage. Everyone tried calming him down, but to no avail.

Beauty Queen raised her dagger to Annabeth's throat. "Should I kill you now, or should I make you watch me take Ladybug and Cat Noir's Miraculouses?" She pressed up against Annabeth's hurt arm, making her whimper in pain.

"Piper!" Jason shouted from the cage. "Don't do this!"

She lowered her dagger a bit and looked angrily at Jason. "I am not Piper!" She yelled. "Piper is dead, just like this girl is about to be!"

In that moment of distraction, Annabeth slipped away, signaling for them to keep her attention.

"Yeah, Piper, it isn't nice to just up and kill people," Leo said, picking up on the cue.

"My name is NOT PIPER!" Beauty Queen shrieked, stomping her foot. At this point, Annabeth was close to the unlocking charm. She silently ran toward it. It was a little above her head, but she could still reach it to unlock the cage.

Of course, Beauty Queen chose that moment to look back at where Annabeth was a moment ago. "Where did she go?" She demanded, looking wildly around the gym. She finally spotted Annabeth, about to push the charm. She made a run for her, but she was too late. Annabeth pushed the charm towards the cage, unlocking it. The door flung open as Beauty Queen reached Annabeth.

X-X-X

"You fool!" Beauty Queen shrieked. In her anger, she lifted Annabeth's charm and tossed it aside, sending Annabeth flying with it. She crashed onto the ground, landing on her hurt arm. She yelled in pain as a sharp piece of rock dug itself into her cut. She tried getting up, but every time she tried, Beauty Queen struck her down.

"Come on, guys! We have to go help!" Ladybug said, running out of the cage. Everyone else came rushing after her.

"Hey, Beauty Queen!" Leo called out, distracting her again. He lit his hands on fire. "Come get me!"

Percy ran over to Annabeth and helped her up. "Are you okay?" He asked, worried.

"Yeah. I'm just-" She was cut off as she passed out from exhaustion. Percy caught her and picked her up.

"I'll go give her some ambrosia," he told Ladybug. "Be right back."

"Ready to fight, Bugaboo?" Cat Noir asked, grinning.

"I swear, if you call me Bugaboo one more time-" she broke off, taking a deep breath. "Yes. I'm ready."

Cat blinked at her, surprised, but she looked away. Before he could say anything, Beauty Queen started towards them, her ripped dress flowing behind her as she ran. As she raised her dagger, Cat noticed something silver glittering on her wrist. Upon closer inspection, it appeared to be a silver charm bracelet.

"Jason!" He called. "Did Piper ever have a charm bracelet?"

"Not that I know of," Jason answered from behind Beauty Queen. He summoned a lightning bolt that struck down in front of her, stopping her in her tracks. "Why?"

Cat Noir spotted a dark purple Eiffel Tower charm dangling from the bracelet. "I think the Akuma is in a charm on the bracelet!"

"Are you sure?" Frank asked from across the gym. "I don't remember her ever wearing a charm bracelet."

"I'm positive!" He said, taking out his staff. "We need to grab her bracelet!" He ran forward, Ladybug coming after him. Ladybug threw her yoyo at Beauty Queen, hoping to have it ensnare her, but it missed, hitting the wall. Cat Noir watched Frank change into a python and slither toward Beauty Queen.

As soon as he got near Beauty Queen, she spoke. "Change back!" She ordered. Almost instantly, Frank morphed back into a human. He tried to change into another animal, but was stuck as human.

"Why can't I change form?" He asked, grabbing his bow and an arrow.

"Her charmspeak," Hazel reminded him. "She told you to change back, so now you can't change form again until she says so."

"But she said she wouldn't use it! She swore on the River Styx."

"No," Cat reminded them. "She said she wouldn't use it in the battles that _weren't_ against her. Now that the battle _is_ against her, she can use it."

"Oh, yeah. Right," Frank said. "So now what?"

"Just distract her!" Percy called from the side. He had Annabeth's head on his lap, and he was trying to feed her some ambrosia.

"Nobody is getting anything from me!" Beauty Queen declared, floating a foot off the ground.

"Pipes, I think you forgot that I can fly," Jason said, rising as well.

"Don't call me 'Pipes.' My name is Beauty Queen!" She shouted, enraged.

"I don't care who Hawkmoth told you you are, to me, you'll always be my awesome girlfriend Piper!" Jason said forcefully. Cat Noir watched as Jason flew toward Beauty Queen and knocked her onto her back, holding her down. She thrashed beneath him.

"We need something to hold her down, or at least tie her up! I can't hold her down forever," Jason said, already losing his grip.

"On it!" Ladybug said, running over to wrap Beauty Queen up in her yoyo. Quickly, they tied her up. "Now, to get the Akuma!" She touched the charm bracelet on Beauty Queen's wrist. "Wait. Where's the clasp? How are we supposed to get it off?"

Beauty Queen smiled grimly. "You can't. The clasp is inside one of the charms, so it can't fall off. That was to prevent Miss Metal Detector over there from taking it in the first place," Beauty Queen said, pointing her chin to Hazel. By now, Percy had joined them, and the demigods were all circled around Beauty Queen.

"I don't suppose you're going to tell us which charm the clasp is in?" Leo asked hopefully.

"Not a chance," Beauty Queen replied.

Leo shrugged. "It was worth a try."

"Now. . .let me out!" Beauty Queen said, putting power behind her words. Ladybug untied her.

"I hate charmspeak," Ladybug decided as Beauty Queen got free. They huddled up for a brief moment.

"Really, my lady? Because you sure charm me when you talk," Cat said flirtatiously.

"Now isn't the time!" Ladybug said, sighing. She brightened slightly. "I do have an idea, though. Leo, can you make a circle of fire around her?"

"Well, yeah. Of course," Leo responded.

"After he does that, she'll try to float out. Jason, you fly above her and push her down if she gets too high."

"Got it," Jason said.

"Frank, you can probably change shape by now. Can you turn into a bird or something small to fly around her head to distract her?"

"Sure, I guess," Frank said uneasily.

"Once she's distracted enough, Percy, you can extinguish the flames around her so we can get to her, okay?"

"Alright," Percy said, glancing quickly in Annabeth's direction to make sure she was okay.

"Hey. Focus, Percy," Cat Noir said. "She's gonna be fine; she just needs a little cat nap to recharge."

Percy nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, sorry."

"Okay. So once she's distracted, I'll use my Lucky Charm and see what it gives us to work with. Then Hazel, try to attract her bracelet. Even though it won't come off, it'll pull her towards you, yeah?" Ladybug continued.

Hazel nodded. "I think so."

"Good. Then Cat, you could use your Cataclysm to destroy the chain of the bracelet. Then it's just a matter of destroying the Eiffel Tower charm!" Ladybug said.

"Great idea, Ladybug," Cat said. "Let's do this!"

The rolled into action quickly. Leo quickly made a circle of flames around Beauty Queen, forcing her to try to float out, only to be pushed back down by Jason. Frank morphed into a hummingbird and flew around Beauty Queen's face, making her swat at him.

"What is this? What are you doing?" She demanded.

Percy quickly put out the flames, Beauty Queen still being annoyed by Frank the hummingbird.

"Lucky Charm!" Ladybug called. A red and black magnet fell into her hands. "What am I supposed to do with this?" She wondered.

"I don't know, but we've almost got her!" Cat said as Beauty Queen started being dragged towards Hazel. Once she was close enough, Cat called out, "Cataclysm!" He then quickly ran in and destroyed the chain of the bracelet, the charms spilling onto the ground.

"My bracelet!" Beauty Queen cried, trying to simultaneously grab the charms and swat the hummingbird still fluttering around her.

"I've got it!" Ladybug said. She ran toward Beauty Queen and slid underneath her, the charms sticking to the magnet. She got up on the other side and picked off the Eiffel charm and crushed it under her foot, releasing the Akuma. "No more evildoing for you, little Akuma," she said. "Time to de-evilize!" Cat Noir watched as she caught the Akuma, then released it, now purified.

"Miraculous Ladybug!" She called, throwing the magnet into the air. Ladybugs flew all over the stadium, fixing everything that had been broken, including Beauty Queen's charm bracelet.

Beauty Queen's mask melted off. Piper opened her eyes and blinked. "What happened?" She asked. Before she could say much else, Jason ran up to her and kissed her.

"Pound it!" Ladybug and Cat declared, fist-bumping each other.

Cat's ring blinked. "I gotta split. See you next time, my lady." With that, he ran off and leaped out of the stadium. Once he was out of anyone's sight, his Miraculous came off.

"That took a long time," Plagg noticed. Adrien fished out a piece of cheese for him. "I'm gonna go back to sleep now."

"Okay. You know, you never really appreciate only having to fight one Akumatized villain until you have to fight all of them," Adrien said. He looked to the stadium entrance, where the demigods were just coming out. He ran up to them. "Guys, what happened in there?"

"It's a really long story," Percy said. He was still slightly supporting Annabeth, who still looked really tired. "Long story short, all the villains came back, and then Ladybug and Cat Noir showed up."

"Yeah?" Adrien said, trying to sound surprised, like he wasn't really there the whole time. "Tell me more."

X-X-X

"No!" Hawkmoth groaned as his window closed. "How could they possibly have defeated me this time? How many Akumas do I have to throw at them? Next time will be it. I swear it!"

X-X-X

Piper felt so horrible about everything. First she had brought back twenty-six villains, then made her friends and Ladybug and Cat Noir fight them. Then she had hurt Annabeth and fought her friends. Gods, she almost killed Annabeth!

Jason hadn't let go of her hand since she had turned back. She didn't mind, of course. She just felt that she didn't deserve it. Even though she had been possessed by an Akuma, she couldn't help but feel really guilty for everything she did.

Jason squeezed her hand gently. "You okay? You've barely said a word."

Piper took a deep breath. "I'm. . .no, I'm not okay. I feel really bad about everything that happened. It's all because I provoked that brat Chloé. I pushed her to say what she did."

"Pipes, what did she say to you?" Jason asked softly.

Piper told him everything Chloé had said earlier. "I let it get to me. I let her get to me. It's my fault the Akuma found me."

"Piper, that's not true," Jason said.

"Yes, it is, Jason. I brought back the villains and made you fight them. I hurt Annabeth. For Hades' sake, I almost killed her!" Tears brimmed her eyes.

"Guys!" Marinette called, running up to them. Alya and Nino were behind her. "I've been looking all over for you! Where did you go?"

"We went to find Piper," Frank said. "We ended up helping Ladybug and Cat Noir fight Beauty Queen."

"Who's Beauty Queen?" Marinette asked, though a glimmer of recognition flashed briefly in her eyes.

"Me." Piper said softly. They were back at the fountain now. She sat on the edge. "I was Beauty Queen. I brought back all twenty-six previously Akumatized villains and made my friends and Ladybug and Cat Noir fight them. Then I. . ." She bit her lip, a tear slipping down her cheek. "I almost killed Annabeth."

"Piper, that wasn't you," Annabeth insisted from the park bench. "That was the Akuma controlling you. You wouldn't ever do any of that willingly."

"No, but I did. And I feel awful." Piper curled up into a ball, bringing her knees up to her chest. "I'm really sorry, guys."

"Piper, it's really okay. There's nothing to be sorry about. Everything turned out okay," Jason said, rubbing circles on her back.

"Yeah, Piper, you weren't at fault here. That was all Hawkmoth. He's the one who made the Akuma possess you, the one who made you do those things. He uses every chance he gets to try and get Ladybug and Cat Noir's Miraculouses," Adrien reminded her gently.

"This was kind of like when Jason and I tried to kill each other in Kansas, remember? The eidolons possessed us, and if it wasn't for you, we wouldn't be here right now," Percy said.

Piper sniffed. "I guess you're right."

"And then, when you defeated Khione and the Boreads single handedly?" Hazel added. "We would've all been frozen statues if you hadn't defeated her!"

"Not to mention the countless other times you saved our butts," Leo said. "Piper, you are amazing. You just had a bad day. We all have bad days."

"Definitely," Marinette agreed. "Like, I'm so super clumsy, that I trip over things at least five times a day."

"Right. None of this was your fault, Piper. The real you wouldn't have done any of that. Beauty Queen wasn't the real you," Annabeth said.

"So you guys forgive me?" Piper asked, her voice small.

"Pipes, there's nothing to forgive," Jason said. "Look, that's all in the past now. Although, you should've seen Leo's face when you told us that your name was Beauty Queen. I think he nearly peed himself!"

Piper laughed a bit. "Thanks, guys," she said. They all came in and hugged her.

"Do you guys want to come back to the bakery for a while before you have to leave?" Marinette offered.

"That'd be nice, thanks," Piper said. "Seriously, your parents' croissants are really good."

Marinette laughed. "I'll be sure to tell them. Come on!"


	7. Only Time Will Tell

Before they saw the demigods off, Annabeth and Piper talked to Marinette separately.

Annabeth came first, a small smile on her face. Thanks to the ambrosia, the cuts on her arms had been reduced to scars, adding to the others she had accumulated over the years.

"Can we talk?" She asked Marinette. "Maybe somewhere private?"

"Um, sure!" She answered, leading Annabeth up to her room. As soon as they were alone and settled on the couch in Marinette's room, Annabeth started.

"I know your secret," Annabeth said softly.

"Wh- what secret?" Marinette stammered, paling slightly.

"I know you are Ladybug," Annabeth replied.

"I, uh, don't know what you're talking about!"

Annabeth laughed. "Don't worry, I'm not going to tell anyone! Promise," she said.

"But- how-"

"I noticed some physical similarities between you and the picture of Ladybug Alya showed us earlier," Annabeth said. "Then when you ran off to get help, Ladybug came to us a minute later. Not to mention the fact that Ladybug knew about us being demigods. I kind of put two and two together after that. I'm not a daughter of Athena for nothing."

Marinette smiled a little. "You really did figure it out, then."

"If it makes you feel any better, I think I've figured out who Cat Noir is, too. But I'm not telling!" She said, seeing the hopeful look on Marinette's face. "I won't tell him you're Ladybug either. That's for you guys to figure out. However, I do think you should give him a chance."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, anyone can tell he really likes you, but you keep pushing him away. Just give him a chance. I think you'll be surprised about what happens then." She paused, looking around the room. "You know, you and I aren't that different. I like designing buildings, you like designing clothes. We're both strong in our own ways and we both value our common sense. We're almost the same person!"

Tikki moved behind Marinette's computer, sticking her head out. Marinette looked briefly at her, and Tikki nodded. She turned back to Annabeth. "Do you want to meet my Kwami?" She asked nervously.

Annabeth brightened. "Sure!"

Upon hearing this, Tikki flew over to the girls. "Hi, Annabeth! I'm Tikki," she introduced.

Annabeth smiled. "It's nice to meet you, Tikki." Tikki fluttered around her face.

"So you're really a child of Athena," she said, coming back around.

"How could you tell?"

"Well, for one, I was with Marinette all day, so I heard you and your friends talking about the Greek and Roman gods," Tikki answered, smiling. "I also sensed something ancient about you guys from the start."

Annabeth looked a little closer at Tikki. She was about to say something more when Percy called up to her. "I'll be right there!" Annabeth called back, standing and smiling apologetically.

"Before you go, you know you can't tell anyone about me?" Tikki asked.

Annabeth nodded. "Yes, of course. I promise I won't say anything." Tikki smiled, satisfied. Annabeth descended the stairs as Marinette stood to do the same.

"Ready to go?" Marinette asked Tikki. Tikki nodded and flew into Marinette's purse. She followed Annabeth down the stairs and was greeted by Alya.

"Where've you been?" She asked. "I've been waiting forever! I updated my blog recently. People all over Paris were talking about how previously Akumatized people just up and retransformed and went to some place, then went back without any memory of what happened!" She paused, taking a breath. "I was retransformed too, wasn't I?"

"Yeah, actually. Nino was, too," Marinette answered, walking towards the demigods.

"Hey, can I talk to you guys for a moment?" Piper asked them. The two looked at each other, then nodded. They went into a corner of the bakery where nobody could hear them. "Okay. As a daughter of Aphrodite, I can tell when two people are meant for each other. Alya, you and Nino were bound to happen sometime or other. And Marinette. . ." She smiled. "You need to tell Adrien how you feel about him. I can't say what, but I felt something about you, something I've only felt a few times before. I've felt it with Percy and Annabeth before for sure. It's a level of deep trust that coincides with friendship that will eventually blossom into love. I can't say how I know, but you and Adrien have that potential. All you need to do is talk to him!"

"I know, I know. Alya tells me everyday. I just get so flustered around him, like I can't think straight, and then I say something stupid to ruin everything," Marinette moaned.

"It's all in the self confidence, Marinette. As in, you need a bit more. Work on that, and love will come to you eventually. Once you trust yourself, you'll be able to do anything!" Piper suddenly made a face. "Ugh. I sound like a mix between my mom and a greeting card."

Alya and Marinette laughed. "Who else have you felt this with?" Alya asked.

"In that moment, after Ladybug released me from the Akuma. . .I felt it with her and Cat Noir. They have the potential to be a really great couple. They're made for each other. They just don't know it yet!"

Marinette froze for a second, remembering that that was how she had described Ivan and Mylène a few months ago. It was just before she had captured Ivan's Akuma, the first time she had ever succeeded in doing so. Thinking that that was how Piper was now describing her and Cat Noir made her brain sore.

"Well, guys, it's time for us to go," Jason said, coming up and taking Piper's hand.

They all walked outside to say goodbye to the demigods. They were going to walk back to their boat on their own, so they had decided to part ways here.

Annabeth handed Marinette, Alya, Adrien and Nino each a slip of paper. "That's my phone number. Call me if there's ever an emergency. Key word being emergency," she said.

"What if you need us?" Marinette asked. "You don't have our numbers."

"I'll Iris-message you," Annabeth said simply. Then at their confused looks: "You'll know it when you see it."

"Okay then," Percy said. "We need to start off. It was really great meeting you guys. Thank you for everything."

They all exchanged their hugs and goodbyes, then Alya, Marinette, Adrien and Nino watched as they left.

"That was. . .exhilarating," Alya said finally. "I mean, all that demigod stuff, then Piper getting Akumatized? It was unreal!"

"That's one word to describe it," Adrien said in response. "Seven new friends, all the way from America. Do you think we're ever going to see them again?"

"You never know," Nino said. "Who can say?"

"I hope we do," Marinette added, smiling softly.

The four looked at the setting sun. The whole day went by so fast, they almost didn't notice that it was already so late.

"I've got to get going," Adrien said. "See you guys in school Monday?"

"Yeah," Marinette said. "See you then!" Adrien waved over his shoulder as he walked off towards his house. Nino followed soon after, kissing Alya on the cheek.

"I've gotta go too, Marinette. So, when are you going to tell Adrien?" Alya said.

"Someday. I'll tell him someday," Marinette said. "I've still got to work up the confidence first. I think I should work on not stammering around him all the time, first."

"Baby steps. Good plan," Alya agreed. She hugged Marinette goodbye. "Talk to you later!"

"Bye!" Marinette called after her. Once she was gone, Marinette went back inside and up to her room. Tikki flew out of her purse soon after.

"Do you think you'll see them again, Marinette?" Tikki asked.

"I don't know, Tikki. For tonight, though, I think I'm going to just go to sleep. So much happened today, I want to get a good night's sleep," she said, putting on her pajamas.

"Yeah, it was a pretty busy day," Tikki agreed. "Goodnight, Marinette."

"Goodnight, Tikki." Marinette turned off her light, thinking about how surreal the whole day was as she drifted off to sleep. Who knew if she would ever see her new friends again? Only time will tell. . .


End file.
